FTII students to carry on protests for removal of Chauhan

Students at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) were unrelenting in their demands for the removal of small-screen actor Gajendra Chauhan as their chairman, with several student bodies stating that they would continue their agitations after talks held with the I and B Ministry on Friday failed to resolve the issue.

Students at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) were unrelenting in their demands for the removal of small-screen actor Gajendra Chauhan as their chairman, with several student bodies stating that they would continue their agitations after talks held with the I and B Ministry on Friday failed to resolve the issue.

Terming the talks held in New Delhi as "inconclusive and unsatisfactory", the FTII's Students Association (FSA) said that the agitation that started on June 12 will continue.

A ten-member delegation of the FSA plus, some alumni including filmmaker Girish Kasarwalli and Oscar-winner Resul Pukutty, had a meeting with I and B minister Arun Jaitley and other officials during which the main demand for removal of Chauhan was cold-shouldered, FSA sources said.

Students, drawn from different parts of the country and pursuing various film-related courses, state that Chauhan, a BJP member, lacks the "stature and vision" to head the institute, which has produced many of the greats of Indian cinema.

Chauhan's association with the BJP has also been an issue with the students expressing reservations over his ideological orientation which, they say, could have a bearing on the FTII's ethos of plurality of thoughts.

Known for his portrayal as 'Yudhishthir' in the popular TV serial Mahabharat, Chauhan has maintained it was premature on the part of the students to oppose his appointment even before he took charge and proved his credentials.

"Yudhishthir, do not teach us Dharma", is a slogan currently popular with the agitating students, alluding to the steadfastness and righteousness of the mythical character.